Ala. Code
Code of Alabama

Ala. Code § 32-5A-31 (2026)

Obedience to Traffic-Control Devices; Devices Presumed to Comply with Requirements.

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(a) The driver of any vehicle shall obey the instructions of any official traffic-control device applicable thereto placed in accordance with law, unless otherwise directed by a police officer, subject to the exceptions granted the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle in this chapter.

(b) No provision of this chapter for which official traffic-control devices are required shall be enforced against an alleged violator if at the time and place of the alleged violation an official device is not in proper position and sufficiently legible to be seen by an ordinarily observant person. Whenever a particular section does not state that official traffic-control devices are required, such section shall be effective even though no devices are erected or in place.

(c) Whenever official traffic-control devices are placed in position approximately conforming to the requirements of this chapter or other law, such devices shall be presumed to have been so placed by the official act or direction of lawful authority, unless the contrary shall be established by competent evidence.

(d) Any official traffic-control device placed pursuant to the provisions of this chapter or other law and purporting to conform to the lawful requirements pertaining to such devices shall be presumed to comply with the requirements of this chapter or other such law, unless the contrary shall be established by competent evidence.

(Acts 1980, No. 80-434, p. 604, §2-101.)

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 5 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1993–2023 · leading case: Woodruff v. City of Pelham, 1 So. 3d 157 (Ala. Crim. App. 2008).
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Woodruff v. City of Pelham, 1 So. 3d 157 (Ala. Crim. App. 2008). · cites it 2× “John Michael Woodruff was convicted in the Pelham, Alabama, municipal court for failing to obey a traffic-control device, a violation of § 32-5A-31, Ala.Code 1975. He appealed his conviction to the Shelby Circuit Court.”
Borden v. CSX Transp., Inc., 843 F. Supp. 1410 (M.D. Ala. 1993). · cites it 2× “See Ala.Code §§ 32-5A-31 and 32-5A-112 (1975).”
Lewis v. State, 794 So. 2d 1241 (Ala. Crim. App. 2000). “Code 1975; failure to obey a stop sign, a violation of § 32-5A-31, Ala.Code 1975; and attempt *1242 ing to elude the police, a violation of § 32-5A-193, Ala.”
Ex Parte Lester Lee Thomas. Petition for Writ of Mandamus: Civil, No. 2022-0525 (Ala. Mar. 3, 2023). “"); § 32-5A-31(a), Ala. Code 1975 ("The driver of any 31 SC-2022-0525 vehicle shall obey the instructions of any official traffic-control device … unless otherwise directed by a police officer ….”
Lindsay v. Cantrell, 649 So. 2d 1277 (Ala. 1994). “The plaintiffs argue that the statutory “Rules of the Road” required Cantrell, as the driver of a motor vehicle turning left at a controlled intersection, (1) to obey traffic laws (§ 32-5A-3); (2) to obey traffic control devices (§ 32-5A-31); and (3) to yield the right-of-way to…”
Ala. Code § 32-5A-31(a): 1 case
Ex Parte Lester Lee Thomas. Petition for Writ of Mandamus: Civil, No. 2022-0525 (Ala. Mar. 3, 2023). “"); § 32-5A-31(a), Ala. Code 1975 ("The driver of any 31 SC-2022-0525 vehicle shall obey the instructions of any official traffic-control device … unless otherwise directed by a police officer ….”
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